Today at 11:30 a.m. PST, Gov. Christine Gregoire will sign into law a bill that legalizes marriage for same sex couples in Washington state. The legislation passed the state's House of Representatives last Wednesday. The law will take effect on June 7.
In a statement released after the bill passed the House, James Esseks, director of the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Project, said:
"Washingtonians should be proud of their legislature and their governor for standing on the right side of history by securing fairness and dignity for all families. When loving couples make the kind of commitment that is at the heart of marriage, it's not fair to exclude them from the protections that only marriage can provide."
The ACLU is working with other organizations to secure the freedom to marry across the country, including passing a marriage bill in Maryland, passing a voter initiative in Maine that would allow same-sex couples to marry and defeating proposed anti-marriage amendments in Minnesota and North Carolina. The ACLU is also seeking domestic partnership protections in Montana, Missouri and Alaska.
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